Increasingly, my conversations with old friends center on their frustrations with our healthcare system. When I say “old friends,” by the way, I don’t mean that I’ve known them for a long time. I mean they are old.

For example, I got an email just a few days ago from an old friend complaining about the one-week delay before he could get access to an MRI for a brain scan. He seemed to think the delay was evidence that the US needs true socialized medicine along the lines of the Canadian model.

While I’m not fan of bureaucratized medicine, neither do I attribute all of the UK’s and Canada’s healthcare problems to socialized medicine. Rather, they are suffering from the same demographic aging that is straining US healthcare and Medicare.

Because I regularly dwell on the economic impacts of societal aging, I’ll forgo that dismal topic today. Instead, I’d like to discuss the silver lining of nationalized health care: the UK’s openness to cost-reducing policies that were once anathema.

However, I’m not talking about rationing schemes. Rather, I’m referring to a new openness to cost-saving innovations that the medical community has opposed in the past. One such innovation is artificial intelligence.

I don’t like the term AI because it implies machine sentience, which does not exist. Rather, these are programs—often based on decision tree algorithms—that combine the knowledge of experts with medical data to quickly make complex decisions. Using deep neural networks and machine learning, these programs can detect patterns human doctors may not be aware of.

Diagnostic programs capable of outperforming the average doctor have existed for decades, but they haven’t been widely adopted. Two of the reasons are regulatory hurdles and a misplaced fear among some doctors that they will be replaced.

But the need for a solution to Britain’s healthcare shortage is so critical that resistance to medical AI is fading. In May, the University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and the Alan Turing Institute announced a partnership that would integrate AI into the NHS.

The NIH has already instituted policies that reduce demands on doctors’ time. This is more important than most people realize: physician costs are about twice as high as drug costs in healthcare budgets.

Over-the-Counter Statins?

One way to reduce the demand on physicians’ time, wait times, and healthcare costs is to shift prescription drugs to over-the-counter status. This makes sense because the price of visiting a doctor to get a prescription may be higher than that of the prescribed drug. Though patients may not pay directly for the consultation, the cost is borne by the system.

Some groups in the UK oppose this practice because the NHS may not cover over-the-counter drugs. Faced with extreme budgetary problems and increasing delays, however, it’s unlikely that the NHS will reverse the practice.

That could mean some drugs shifted to OTC status would no longer be covered by insurance plans—but the total number of doctor visits would be reduced. I suspect it will also be a boon for Amazon and Walmart, since both are aggressively seeking larger roles in the healthcare market.

Another indication that we’re getting close to a major tipping point: The FDA has qualified regenerative medicine for the accelerated approval process mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act. While I wasn’t particularly impressed by that law, things are moving in the right direction.

I’ve previously mentioned that Japan’s deregulation of regenerative medicine was motivated by the need to solve the aging problem. As you know, Japan has adopted a system of progressive approval that would allow anti-aging technologies to be marketed following relatively short and inexpensive safety trials.

Connect with Rod Martin

Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.Peter ThielPayPal, Founders Fund, Facebook, Palantir

Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.Annual Bipartisan Conference of George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management

Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.Steve ForbesPresident and CEO, Forbes; Former Presidential Candidate

Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.Gov. Mike HuckabeeFormer Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate

Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.Dr. Gil AmelioExecutive Committee, AT&T; Former CEO, Apple Computer and National Semiconductor

Rod Martin has a proven track record of overwhelming success. I believe in him strongly.Dr. Ronnie FloydPresident, The Southern Baptist Convention

Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.Dick DresnerCelebrated International Political Consultant, Credited With Boris Yeltsin’s 1996 50-Point Turnaround Re-Election

Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.Eric JacksonFormer Chief Marketing Officer, PayPal.com; Author, The PayPal Wars; Founder and CEO, CapLinked.com

Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.Joel BelzFounder, World Magazine; Former Chairman of the Board, Covenant College

America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.Randy TateFormer Deputy Whip, U.S. House of Representatives

Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.José GonzálezPresident, Semila

Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.Dr. Ted BaehrPublisher, MOVIEGUIDE®; Chairman, Christian Film and Television Commission

Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.Dr. Tom AscolExecutive Director, Founders Ministries, Southern Baptist Convention

I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.Hon. Paul PresslerRetired Justice, Texas Court of Appeals; Past President, Council for National Policy

Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.George GilderFounding Father of Supply-Side Economics, Globally-Recognized Technology Guru

If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.Hon. John Paul HammerschmidtU.S. House Republican Leadership, 1967-1993

A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.Hugh O'BrianLegendary Actor; Founder, Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY)

Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.Dr. Harald OttOtt Laboratory for Organ Engineering and Regeneration, Harvard Medical School

Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.Jane Russell"40 Most Iconic Movie Goddesses of All Time", Glamour

Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.Dr. Edward TellerFather of the H-Bomb